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I am Manikanth from Hyderabad. I want a profile evaluation and some valuable suggestions to apply for MBA fall-2012.

I gave my GMAT yesterday and got 730(M 51, V 38). I have 3.5 years of IT exp with Oracle India (would be around 4 yrs months by the time of matriculation). I did my MCA from NITK, Surathkal and BSc(Electronics) from Pune University.

My academics:X - 73%Inter - 75%BSc - 81%MCA - 8.4 (CGPA)

I have a very different background and it was never a cake walk for me. I started my first job in a STD booth in my 7th class and have worked in many petty jobs since then to support my education. As part of my jobs, I have developed interest in various fields that is how I joined BSc(electronics) and then did an MCA (again because of interest developed by my part time jobs in BSc). In the last 3.5 yrs in Oracle i've had exposure to various ERP modules and now am more interested in strategy or Product management roles, either of which needs an MBA. I am targeting ISB and few other US B-schools (only those which offer good fundings as I can't afford anything above 25 lakhs, since I can get loan for only that amount ). Can you please tell my chances for top US B-schools?

I am not sure if I can afford the costs of US B-schools, though some schools provide tution and funding, I should entirely depend on loans if I leave my current job. My savings over the past 3.5 years were also less as I did many donations for poor students who were in need of tuition fees. I don't have any proof for this, since they were all brothers of some distant friends or some recommendations by my family members. I also practice yoga and teach it to 6 people at home everyday, again I do this for free and they were all neighbors. I don't know if I can show all these in my application.

I am also planning to apply for Harvard and Stanford, which one do you suggest? Also, any suggestions on other US B-schools which is good for indian students with IT background that provides good funding and have a good placement record in IT related fields post MBA. I am also planning to apply for NUS, singapore, but again confused here between Nanyang and NUS, which one is good for MBA in IT related fields like Operations, Strategy or General Management.

Your GMAT scores are solid, but your GPA is slightly on the low side. Moreover, your IT experience does not differentiate you, given your demographic.

I think your competitiveness will come down to the quality of your leadership experience. Can you point to “moments” where you’ve influenced people/organizations, driven results, taken initiative, both in and out of work? Your extracurricular activities (e.g., teaching yoga) are all fair game. They don’t have to be official volunteer work, rather just ways to show how you pursue your passions and interests and how you engage with the world.

I also think you should tighten your career story. The more you can paint a compelling picture that ties together your past, present, and future, the more competitive you will be.

I think you have a compelling story, but I do think HBS and Stanford are reaches for you. I would do some research into some tier 2 and 3 programs that specialize in technology.

I think your competitiveness will come down to the quality of your leadership experience. Can you point to “moments” where you’ve influenced people/organizations, driven results, taken initiative, both in and out of work? Your extracurricular activities (e.g., teaching yoga) are all fair game. They don’t have to be official volunteer work, rather just ways to show how you pursue your passions and interests and how you engage with the world.

During my under grad, I have started a business (service) with 4 other friends, it was my brain child and I worked on the business model and other tasks associated with it. It was all about providing service to senior citizens in helping them to pay Utility bills and other similar day-to-day services for a nominal charge. It ran well for 3 months, but had to discontinue it as the expenses and efforts included were not worth the profit that we got.

1) I was class representative for 2 yrs in MCA in NITK, main roles include talking about student issues with lecturers and college management. Any communication between MCA student body and college management should go through CR. 2) I was also a placement representative in the MCA final year, roles include visiting colleges and inviting companies for placements and internship positions. 3) Participated in many tech fests conducted by other NITs and colleges across India. 4) I have also started the Placement prep classes in NITK, during my MCA. Its all about taking classes to juniors and sub juniors, to share our interview and placement experiences. Its still running successfully in NITK.

I am an active member of Red cross in organizing blood donation camps and have organized multiple camps in Oracle. I also donate blood on a regular basis.

I am also an active member of Youth For Seva (YFS) in Oracle, its a community service for underprivileged children which runs in various cities across India. It works with various corporations to sponsor education and health for children. I work with YFS through Oracle Volunteers by organizing old book collection camps, adopting children educationally and other such educational related events.

Also, regarding your comment:I think you have a compelling story, but I do think HBS and Stanford are reaches for you. I would do some research into some tier 2 and 3 programs that specialize in technology.

You meant "I do think HBS and Stanford are reaches for you" or "I don't think HBS and Stanford are reaches for you"?

I think your recent extracurricular activities can distinguish you. And, the fact that you started your own business in university is compelling, especially given the consistent theme of “service” in your experience. Your school activities will not weigh as heavily because they are not as recent. Some schools even ask outright for experience from the past 3 years. That said, there is still a clear theme of service in all of your non-work activity.

Try to weave this passion into your post-MBA goals. I think that would differentiate you far more than your technology background, and it seems that you’ve taken the initiative and leadership opportunities in that arena of your life. Or, combine that passion with your technology experience in a cohesive way.

To clarify, I think programs like HBS and Stanford would still be a reach for you.